Asphodel Institute for Troubled Youth
by breezered
Summary: After an attempt on his stepfather's life, it's off to Asphodel Institute for Troubled Youth for Percy Jackson. Interesting people, interesting adventures, and maybe a sprinkle of insanity awaits inside the shoddy building with the bars on the windows. Don't forget the number one rule: don't get sent to Tartarus. /AU Mortal/
1. Let Me Set the Stage

Okay, so maybe I deserved this. I had pretty much held his head under water for a good minute. It was pretty much a miracle he lived - unfortunately. He deserved that, let me tell you. Gabe Ugliano was, is, and always will be, a royal asshole.

Sorry, let me back this up.

My name is Perseus Jackson, but please just call me Percy. I live - er, lived - with my mom (Sally Jackson) and my asshole of a stepfather Gabe Ugliano. If you looked in a dictionary for "smelly", "asshole", "trash", or "shit head", you would see his picture right there. My mom and I had lived with this asswipe ever since I was 6, so about ten years. He was rude, mean, smelled like ass, fat, and cruel.

I had always thought about running away with my mom, but never really had the balls to do it. But, two days ago, I just couldn't take it anymore. He was being especially crude towards my mom, and had hit me over the head at least ten times in three hours. So, in an act of bloodlust or something, I filled the sink with icy water, and shoved his head in it. My mom came in and saw me, and managed to push me off the fat man, pulled him out, and yelled at me to call 911 while she started CPR. I did, just because she looked so worried.

Long story short, the asshole lived, and I'm getting sent to Asphodel Institute for Troubled Youth.

Great.

When I first saw the building, it screamed out 'GIVE ME A MAKEOVER'. It was a block of brownstone with the occasional window. The sign above the doors was missing a few letters, and what with my dyslexia, it looked like 'Asphoel Instite fo Troubled You'. I immediately felt that familiar sinking in my stomach.

"Well, here we are," My mom says, and I can tell she's trying to be chirpy about this whole situation. "We'll gather up your stuff and then go inside and get you settled in?" I shrug, and turn up the volume on my iPod. I don't really want to get out of the car, but I manage to drag my body out of the passenger seat. I get my two duffel bags from the trunk of our old, beat up Toyota. My mom smiles reassuringly at me, and I grimace back. Together, we walk into the ugly building.

The main entrance has white walls with two paintings of dreary looking prairies, and an old lady with permed white hair sits at the front desk, smacking her gum as she chews it. I hate it when people do that. My mom walks up to the desk and I sulk behind her, but not before tugging on my headphones. I grudgingly take them out of my ears.

"Hello," Mom greets the lady, "I'm here to check in my son, Perseus Jackson?"

The old lady glances up and then presses a button on her desk phone and says in a drawling southern accent, "Perseus Jackson here to check in." There's the voice of a man that crackles back over the speaker.

"Send him up," The voice says.

I groan inwardly. This man sounds like a total duffer.

"Out that door, fourth door on your left," The lady tells us, "Have a nice day." She turns to her computer and I'm pretty sure she's playing solitaire, because there's no way this woman (who should probably be preserved and kept in a museum) can be doing anything productive.

"Thank you," Mom says, and she walks briskly in the direction that the receptionist indicated. I meander behind her, and we enter the new hallway. It also has white walls, although this time the walls are lined with paintings of stern looking men. Former directors, maybe. Don't know, don't care.

My mom stops in front of a heavy-looking door. There's a gold nameplate on it. I make out what is says pretty easily, because there are only three letters. 'Mr. D'.

My mom knocks, and we hear a drawling voice call to us, "Come in," So mom opens the door and we walk in.

The walls are a gaudy purple, decorated with pictures of what I'm pretty sure are vineyards. On the far wall is a wine rack filled with...diet coke? Okay, that's a little weird. Behind a big desk, is a chubby man wearing a tiger-print track suit. On his desk is a nameplate, "Mr. D. Director of AIFTY". He has a baby-esque face, and thinning black hair. His cheeks are flushed, and his eyes somewhat red.

"Hello," He says, "I'm Mr. D, the director of Asphodel Institute for Troubled Youth."

This is the director? You have GOT to be kidding me. This guy looks like a cherub on crystal meth who went through a really bad midlife crisis!

"It's very nice to meet you," Mom says politely, but I can tell she's thinking the exact same thing I'm thinking.

"Please, have a seat," He gestures to two worn down green leather chairs. We sit. "Now, I have read Peter's-"

"Percy," I correct.

"-file, and I can assure you, Ms. Jackson, that we will do everything in our power to help your son overcome any challenges that he may face as of right now." I can tell this guy uses this speech on every parent that comes in here. I know what it's like when you have a certain saying memorized. It's like saying, "I'm good, how are you?" after you run into someone. It always sounds the same.

"That's very reassuring, Mr. D," My mom says, her face turning up into a forced smile. I roll my eyes. Bullshit.

"I'll have one of my staff come and take Percy up to his room, and show him around," Mr. D says, hitting a button on his desk. Almost immediately, a scrawny guy about my age comes running into the room. He's got curly hair and a rasta hat, and legs that look like they don't always work how he wants them to.

"Grover, this is Perry-"

"Percy," I correct him again.

"-Jackson and his mother. You can surely show Pedro around without messing that up, can't you?"

Grover nods vigorously. "Erm, come on." He waves at us to follow, and we get up, my mom thanking Mr. D again. I practically push her out the door.

Grover smiles at us once the door is closed. "Sorry about Mr. D," He says, "He's always like that."

"Rude and boring?" I supply. Grover laughs, and it sort of sounds like a goat's "bla-ha-ha". My mom is twisting her hands around.

"Am I not allowed to see Percy up to his room?" She asks Grover worriedly. He shakes his head.

"Policy," He says morosely, "Parents aren't allowed in the facility except on special visiting days once a month. I'll give you two a minute to say bye. Percy, I'll just be down the hall and to the right." I nod in acknowledgement, and then turn to my mom. She has tears in her eyes, and I hope that I don't start crying too.

So maybe I'm kind of a mommy's boy, but my mom and I have been through so much together that I don't even care. I put my bags down and hug her tightly. She runs my back soothingly and pulls back.

"I'll see you every visiting day," She says, "And don't forget to call, or email, or write, or send a postcard, or whatever." I nod, and pick my bags up again. She sighs. "Percy, just...behave, okay?"

"Mom," I say with a sardonic grin, "When do I ever not behave?"

She laughs, "Need I make a list?"

"Nah, we'd be here all night," I say, laughing with her.

She puts a hand on my cheek, and smiles at me. "I love you, Percy," She says, "No matter what happens, okay?"

"Okay," I say, choking on my words, "I love you too, mom."

She hugs me quickly once more, then she walks away. I watch her for a moment, then walk over to where Grover said he'd be.

"Hey man," He says as I reach him, "So, do you want to see your room first?"

"Sure," I mumble.

"Follow me," Grover says, and, bags in hand, I walk to my doom.

At least, that's what it felt like.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Hello all, thanks for stopping by! Yes, I have returned *three cheers*, but don't think this means steady updates. My sporadic update cycle will probably never change, unfortunately. But hey, work with what you've got, right?**

**Review, maybe? **

**I own nothing. **

**-breezered**


	2. Optimism Never Gave Anyone Indigestion

Grover leads me down a hall with (surprisingly enough), pale yellow walls. There aren't any pictures, but the yellow looks great compared to the purple of Mr. D's office, or the white walls of the reception.

"So, Percy," Grover says, trying to strike up a conversation," Where you from?"

"Manhattan," I answer monotonously.

"Cool," He says, "I've always wanted to go to Manhattan, but I'm from Chicago, and then came here and...well, I don't get much time out of here."

I nodded silently, unsure of what to say.

"If you're nervous about being here, don't worry," He continues, "There's bound to be someone you connect with. Actually, I can probably recommend some people that you might like."

"Do you guys have a pool?" I blurt out. It's the ADHD.

Grover looks taken aback. "Um, no, but occasionally, if we ask really nicely, we can get small group field trips somewhere."

"Oh," I say. This sucks.

Real quick, I love swimming. And I'm good at it. I was the captain of my school swim team until I tried to drown Gabe and got sent here.

I follow Grover up a flight of stairs. We come out onto the second floor. Here, the walls are pale blue. Before I go any further, this big, buff security guard comes up to me and runs a metal detector over me. Another guard takes my bags and runs them through an x-ray machine.

"This a safety razor?" He asks, pointing at the screen.

I nod. My mom had packed that stuff for me, and she knew what she was doing.

"Alright, he's clear," The first guard says to Grover who leads me through some sliding doors at the sound of a buzzer. On the other side, I pick up my bags and we continue on our way.

I don't know what I'm expecting, but I don't see any people in the hall. There's no sign of life, psychopathic or otherwise. Grover stops in front of a door, and opens it. I follow him inside.

Pale green walls, a single bed against one wall, with white sheets and a blue blanket. There's a chest of drawers beside it, a desk on the other side of the room. A door which leads into a small bathroom. There's one window, with (surprise, surprise) bars. I drop my bags on the bed and throw my coat on it as well. I look out the window and see a small courtyard. No one there either.

"Where is everyone?" I ask Grover.

"Well, it's almost eleven, so they'll mostly be in the lounge or the art room. Maybe the library." He claps his hands together eagerly. "Ready for your tour?"

"Why not," I mutter.

First, he shows me where the cafeteria is. Good choice. It's not far from my room, which is perfect. It looks like a school cafeteria with long tables and benches. There's a bowl of fruit, and I grab an apple. I eat it as I follow Grover.

There's the games room, the computer room, the vending room, and the weight room - all empty.

Then he leads me to the lounge. It's pretty big with a widescreen TV on one wall. There's a groups of kids around my age, maybe older, maybe younger, sitting in front of it in various positions watching an old episode of Friends.

"Do you want to be introduced?" Grover asks me. I shake my head vigorously. No need to draw unnecessary attention to the new kid. He nods, and leads me to the last stop on our tour.

The art room.

There's a handful of kids here. It smells like acrylics, clay, and markers. They have easels, tables, cabinets full of art supplies, and a floor to ceiling window (with bars, but still) with a view that looks out over the skyline of rural wherever-the-hell-I-am.

Grover takes me by the elbow and drags me over to where a blonde girl is concentrating hard on what looks like a blueprint.

"Hey, Annabeth," He says, "This is Percy."

Annabeth looks up and I'm startled by her appearance. At first I thought "Hey, a typical California type. Blonde and tanned.", but then I saw her eyes. They are the stormiest grey I have ever seen. But even if I don't know her, I just know that her eyes match her.

"Hey," She says to me.

Me, never having been good with girls, well, I just nod.

"I was hoping that you might show Percy the ropes," Grover continues, "He's new, and you know this place like no one else."

"Yeah, whatever," She shrugs.

"Great!" Grover turns to me and waves bye.

Hesitantly, I pull up a chair beside Annabeth. We sit in silence only broken by the sound of her pencil scratching on the paper.

"So," I say finally, "What're you drawing?" Her eyes flash up at me and I'm pretty sure she's thinking of a hundred different ways to kill me.

"I'm designing an ancient Greek temple," She answers snarkily, "A temple to the goddess Athena."

"Goddess of wisdom, weaving, art, and war," I say.

Annabeth looks surprised. "How do you know that?" She demands.

I shrug. "I like Greek stuff."

A smile small graces her features. "Me too," She says.

"Who's your favorite?" I ask, trying to strike up a conversation.

"Athena, no contest," She replies quickly.

"I'm a Poseidon fan," I say proudly. She looks up at me with a look that is telling me just how dumb she thinks I am.

"Seriously?" She asks disbelievingly. "Poseidon? His head is full of algae!"

"I think he would prefer to be called seaweed brain," I say snootily, trying to ease the air of 'I want to kill you' that Annabeth seems to be giving out.

She rolls her eyes, "Maybe I'll start calling you seaweed brain just for saying that," She mumbles. I let out a short laugh, but she's already working on her blueprint again. So I sit there and watch her work.

The seconds tick by painfully slow. I think about trying to talk to Annabeth again, but she looks really focused, and hey - I'm in an institution for troubled youth. For all I know, she enjoys ripping off people's toes one by one. So I sit there until a loud bell rings through the room.

Annabeth puts down her pencil, and stands up. She's taller than I thought she would be, almost as tall as me, shorter only by about two inches. It's intimidating, because she also looks athletic and ready to take me down at any moment.

"Lunch time," She say monotonously, and she walks purposefully out of the art room and I follow her down to the lunch room.

The room is filling up rapidly with youths. Kids ranging from about ten years old, to a few gorillas who look like they're almost twenty.

"So," Annabeth says, turning towards me, "Follow me, get your food, and you can sit with me today." I get the impression that she doesn't want me there tomorrow.

"Okay," I say, holding back the urge to mock salute. We head over to the line by the serving counters. There are three old ladies working behind the counter. They're all wearing matching blue-knit sweaters underneath their aprons. I avoid making eye-contact with any of them, because they're creeping the heck out of me, silently slopping food onto people's plates. Annabeth leads me over to a table where there is already a handful of kids sitting down.

"Hey guys," She greets, "This is Percy. He's gonna sit with us."

An outdoorsy guy with sandy blonde hair grins up at me. "Hey Percy," He says, "I'm Luke." He extends his hand. I awkwardly shuffle my tray into one hand and shake his with my free hand. His grip is like a vice, and I grin back to mask any pain that could show up.

"Hey," I say. He lets go of my hand. Thank god.

"I'm Thalia," A punk-type girl says. She's got electric blue eyes, inky black hair, and an array of piercings in her ears that look dangerous. I nod at her, and Annabeth sits down. I follow suit, sitting across from her.

A small Spanish guy waves at me. "The name's Leo Valdez," He says with a slight accent, "Don't wear it out."

"I probably won't," I mutter to myself.

Another blonde guy nods at me. "Jason," He says, "Thalia's brother, actually." I try -and fail - to hide my surprise. They look so completely different. No way.

"No way," I vocalise, "Really?"

They both nod. I let out a low whistle.

"Hey guys!" A girl who looks like she could be of native American descent rushes over to us. She's got a tray filled up with pretty much just desserts. "Oh, new kid?" She says, spotting me.

"Yeah," I answer.

"Sweet," She says, smiling dazzlingly, "I'm Piper. It's nice to meet you."

I try to smile back. "Likewise."

"Has anyone seen Hazel or Frank?" Leo pipes up.

Luke shrugs. "Not since I played a round of poker with them about an hour ago."

Annabeth rolls her eyes and exchanges a look with Thalia.

"I thought you were here to stop your gambling problems," Thalia says, nudging Luke with her elbow.

"Nah," He says, "I'm here for the sadism thing." Thalia just laughs and goes back to eating the food on her tray.

I munch silently on my Mac and cheese while they all talk to each other. Annabeth seems much more comfortable with these people, and I even see her laugh a few times. Leo is (extremely obviously) ADHD to the point of near insanity. Thalia and Jason both seem skittish, and Piper is pocketing a few things every now and then. I can't help but speculate as to why they're all here.

"So, Percy," Luke says, cutting me out of my reverie, "What did you do to wind up here?"

"Tried to kill my stepdad," I shrug.

"Nice," He grins toothily at me, "How?"

"Shoved his head underwater for about a minute."

He laughs and I start to feel that there are a few things off with this guy.

"Did it work?" He asks, leaning in. I shake my head, and he leans back. "Too bad. It's always a better story when it works."

"Leave the kid alone, Luke," Thalia says, "He's just got here and you're already creeping the fuck out of him."

"Hey, who wants to ask for a field trip soon?" Leo asks.

Everyone gives some form of consent.

"Where to?" Jason asks.

"Museum!" Annabeth calls out.

"Park!" Luke retorts.

"Pool!" I join in. Everyone looks over at me. I feel a blush rise onto my face.

"That's a good idea, Seaweed brain," Annabeth says finally, "I vote for pool as well!"

"Let's do it!" Leo yells, punching the air.

Then the bell rings, signaling the end of lunch.

So maybe things won't be too bad.

* * *

A/N: Yes, a fast update in the middle of the night. Don't get used to it, darlings.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited, followed, anything! You are all le bomb diggity!

Maybe review again?

I own less than nothing!

-breezered


	3. I Make Friends Out of Three Gorillas

After lunch, it's an hour of resting time. I head back to my room, and sit on my bed. I'm not really tired though, so I start to unpack my things. Socks and underwear - top drawer. Shirts and extra socks - second drawer. Pants, shorts, pyjamas, and sweaters take up the bottom two. By the time I'm done with that, it's started to rain.

I'm still feeling pretty antsy, so I go to the bathroom and place my toiletries around the room. That only takes me about two minutes, and in frustration, I flop down onto the creaky single bed.

All in all, I've had better days cleaning dog crap off the bottom of my shoe - and it's barely even one o'clock.

Luke had told me that if I got bored during rest hour I was free to go to the lounge and join him in a round of cards, but somehow I don't quite trust the guy. Call me crazy, but he seemed more than a little corrupted.

But time is passing so damn slowly, I decide that I have no choice but to take him up on his offer. So I haul myself up off the bed and meander down to the lounge, only getting lost twice. Luke is sitting on the couch with Annabeth and Thalia, while Leo seems to be playing with Lego on the floor. I walk up behind them and rub the back of my neck.

"Hey," I greet, hoping that my tone doesn't give away how uncomfortable I feel. Luke turns his head and smiles at me.

"Percy! Happy you could make it!" He gestures at the girls and they grudgingly all shift around to make space for me. "Take a seat, buddy," Luke says, and I do, settling in between Annabeth and Luke.

"Not tired?" Thalia asks sympathetically. I shake my head, and start tapping my foot.

"Miss home?" Luke adds.

"Don't we all?" I counter, trying to seem like less of a momma's boy than I actually am.

Annabeth lets out a sardonic laugh, and leans her head back. Thalia snickers with her, and Luke gives me a wry grin.

"Perce, my friend," He says, "You're one of the lucky few here at Asphodel who has a house that you can call a home." His grin drops for a second, and his eyes harden briefly, but before I'm even sure I saw anything, he's smiling at me again.

"Sorry," I mumble, totally embarrassed. It didn't even occur to me that problems at home could be why most of these kids are here.

Even though that's kind of why I'm here. A murder attempt on your stepdad could probably count as family problems.

"Don't worry about it, amigo," Leo says from where he's building a Lego tower, "Most of us are desensitized. As long as you aren't making fun, no harm should be done to you." He doesn't look up at me, but I think he's probably laughing at his own attempt at a rhyme.

"Maybe just refrain from talking about how awesome your home is," Annabeth pipes in, "Not everyone wants to hear it."

An awkward silence. Luke turns on the TV. It's on the infomercial channel, and they're advertising a plastic wrap dispenser. We all focus our attention on the mind-numbing information being thrown at us, until Thalia steals the remote away from Luke and changes it to a nature channel.

Oh, lovely, a gazelle being torn apart by a lion.

As the show starts to move on to the subject of the mating habits of your average African Lion, a girl walks in.

Now, when I say girl, that term of gender specification is being used very loosely. She's big, has a face that kind of resembles that of an angry pig, and definitely could have been mistaken for a boy with shoulder length, scraggly tendrils of greasy hair. She's flanked by two guys who are even bigger than she is, and sport the epitome of a crustasche on each of their ugly faces.

It was like Ugly, Uglier, and Ugliest had come by for a chat - er, more like a grunt.

"Oh look," The girl sneers, "The weirdos are watching animal porn." Her henchmen guffaw. They approach us and immediately the smell of B-O fills my nostrils, and I retch a bit.

She looks disdainfully down at Leo and kicks over his Lego tower with excessive force.

"Hey, watch it zopenco!" Leo yells.

"My bad, Pèdro," Clarisse says venomously.

"Shove off, Clarisse," Thalia spits.

What a feminine name for such a completely not-feminine-at-all person.

"I'll do what I like, Pinecone Face," Clarisse snaps back.

Thalia leaps off the couch. "Say that again, Ogre, I dare you!" She gets right up in the big girl's face.

Now, I'm not one to judge, but honestly, Thalia is pretty tiny, and I have my doubts about her ability in a fight against Clarisse.

It seems that Luke is of the same mindset, and calmly stands up, ready to hold Thalia back.

"Ooo, Emo Barbie is mad," Clarisse snickers to her henchmen. Thalia intensifies her glare, and I'm not sure how Clarisse hasn't been reduced to a puddle of goo yet.

Thalia lunges forward, and I expect Luke to grab her and hold her back, but he grins and jumps one of the henchmen (it's like Clarisse has her very own flying monkeys - not that I think for one second that these guys could achieve flight). Annabeth rolls her eyes and turns back to the TV.

Okay I'm kind of freaking out by this point. I try to act as cool as Annabeth is, but it's a close up on lions doing the deed, and that's even worse.

I can't help myself. I practically fly off the couch and give my best New York taxicab whistle. They all stop.

All their eyes on me. Great. I blush furiously and try not to wet myself under the five glares being sent my way.

"Um, hi," I stutter, "I was just, y'know, hoping we could stop fighting and maybe settle this like the mature people we ar-ah!" Clarisse had walked right over to me, picked me up by the collar of my shirt, and held me up to her height. Yes, she was taller than me. Which only proves that she is not a normal young lady, so I rest my case.

"You got a problem, punk?" She breathes, and her breath smells like she's been the one eating raw gazelle instead of the lions.

"Well, nope, not really," I say, my voice a fair bit higher than it should be. She shakes me a little and I squeak, "Yes, I do, I have a problem!"

"Well that's too bad," She hisses, "Because you know what I do to people who got a problem with me?"

"Probably something horrible and unpleasant," I blurt. She gives me a terrifying grin, showing all of her crooked, yellow teeth.

"Xeno, Nero!" Her henchmen look over at us.

"Yeah?" The one who is slightly-smaller-than-your-average-male-gorilla answers.

"Let's give this punk a little lesson in respect," She sneers.

"I very much doubt there's much you could teach me in that aspect," I say.

Luke lets out a laugh, but does nothing as I'm dragged out of the lounge.

So glad to know I've made some long-lasting friends.

Frantically, I look around, trying to remember landmarks from this morning's tour with Grover. Unfortunately, in my current panicked state, nothing seems to be clicking. Until, that is, I see the door to the men's room.

Oh no.

Please.

God, are you there? It's me, Percy!

Apparently, I was due for a rather immature high school initiation ritual that I had already endured once, and had hoped to never have to go through again.

As Clarisse had her boys position my head above the bowl, she asked me, "Any last words?"

Apparently, "Do your knuckles hurt after a long day of dragging them on the ground?", was not the right answer.

* * *

**A/N: I feel like a miracle has descended on me and made me update. This is is weird. You are all lucky, wonderful people.**

**So, what did you think? Up to snuff? Drop me a review? Because they honestly make me so happy it isn't even believable. **

**I own nothing, as per usual. **

**Buckets full of thanks to anyone who read/favourited/followed/reviewed!**

**-breezered**


	4. Unsuccessfully Debonair

I'm lying on the floor of the bathroom, surrounded by water. Apparently, Clarisse's version of your average flushie is more like a game of how-long-can-Percy-hold-his-breath.

The good part is that I can hold my breath for a fairly long time, because of my mastery of swimming.

The bad part? Clarisse just held me down until I almost drowned. I guess she has enough brain power to adjust her evil ways.

Anyways, I'm now lying here. On the floor of a public(ish) men's room.

How disgusting.

The door opens and a female voice calls out, "Percy?"

I let out a strangled sort of groan. Footsteps approach me and a head hovers into view. A head with blonde princess curls.

"You look awful, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth says, crouching down and regarding my toilet-watery appearance.

"You try getting a flushie from Clarisse the beast," I wheeze. Annabeth rolls her eyes and helps me sit up. I start to wring out the bottom of my shirt. "Is she this horrific all the time?"

Annabeth shrugs. "Most of the time. She's generally an unpleasant person." She stands up and offers me her hand. I take it and pull myself up.

"Yeah, I got that vibe," I say. We walk out of the bathroom and Annabeth walks with me to my room. We don't talk the entire way there, but when we reach my door, she looks at me with calculating gray eyes.

"What you did," She starts, "Stopping them at your own personal risk, well...it was brave." She gives me a very small smile.

I blush furiously. "It's nothing."

Annabeth says, "No, it was something," and walks away.

There are few times when I wish I was better with girls.

This is one of them.

I could've given her a devil-may-care, debonair smile and acted all manly and charming. Instead, I stood there blushing like a schoolgirl.

Not that I like her, or anything. Just that females and I don't have a good track record.

Either way, I manage to direct myself into the shower and begin to cleanse myself of the disgusting toilet water. By the time I finish, a bell is ringing. I check my schedule and see that it's time for one-on-one sessions. Groaning, I walk out of my room and head to where Grover had pointed out to me as the counseling wing.

* * *

"Have a seat, Perseus."

"Thanks. But you can just call me Percy."

"My name is Mr. Brunner. We'll be seeing a lot of each other over the next while, so I won't spend any time beating around the bush."

"Okay."

"Percy, why did you attempt to kill your stepfather?"

"He's a douche."

"Do you think that 'He's a douche' is a good enough reason to justify attempted murder?"

"After ten years, yeah, I think that's a pretty good reason."

"Was he threatening you?"

"No offense, sir, but I think you're just asking me dumb questions to piss me off."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if you think that I'm wasting your time, Percy, you have every right to walk out."

"Okay, bye."

"I'll see you next time."

"Maybe."

* * *

I can tell that these next months are going to go really well.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long! But I still am not happy with this chapter, and I kept trying to change it, but alas.**

**I hope you all enjoyed it more than I did!**

**Reviews are the elixir of life, my dears.**

**I own nothing!**

**-breezered**


	5. Lacking in Secure Security

Warning, I mention some drug use in this one.

* * *

After an uneventful afternoon, I was more than ready to grab a bite and hit the hay. It's amazing how tiring doing nothing can be.

Unfortunately (that seems to be a key word in my life right now), Luke had other plans.

I sit down beside Annabeth at dinner. She gives me a very tiny smile, and I send one back. Luke is sitting across from me grinning like the cat that swallowed the mouse or has been sniffing way too much catnip. I nod at him in greeting, feeling uneasy with his intense stare.

"So, Percy," He says with a slick tone, "Hear you got flushed by Clarisse." He lets out a low whistle. "Not many people are around to tell the tale after that happens to them."

I shrug as if it were no big deal. "What is she in for?" I ask, trying to keep my tone as casual as possible.

"Word is she was found literally sacrificing cats," Thalia says from behind me, walking over to us with a tray laden with cheeseburgers. "I even heard she was, like, cooking their guts and shit." All of a sudden, the food on my tray looks a lot less appetizing.

Annabeth scoffs, "That's ridiculous, Thalia. She was put in for the attempted murder of her mother." She turns to me, "Sliced her up real bad." I shudder, and Luke laughs.

"She's nothing to be afraid of," He says, "They screen rezzes like her for knives and shit like that."

"Rezzes?" I ask.

"Slang for residents," Thalia answers, "Although using the word 'inmate' wouldn't be totally incorrect here."

"Anyways, you guys won't believe what I got today," Luke whispers. We all lean in. "7g of you-know-what." He smiles, leaning back in his chair.

"What?" I ask, unsure as to why my three new acquaintances are smiling like Christmas came early.

Annabeth whispers in my ear, "Weed." I ignore how her breath tickles my skin, and raise my eyebrows.

"How?" I wonder out loud, "Don't they check for that type of stuff?"

Luke laughs. "Sure they do. Unless you know the right people." I don't think I want to know any more, so I just nod as if to say 'Yeah, I hear you,' and let Luke talk. "So I can arrange for us to get to the roof tonight, or I can make a better arrangement with night shift for tomorrow."

Thalia groans and Annabeth rolls her eyes.

"I'm not doing it," The blonde replies, "I need to be clean."

Thalia munches thoughtfully on her (second? Third?) cheeseburger. "Tomorrow night." Luke nods, and looks at me expectantly. Put on the spot, I begin to stutter incomprehensibly.

I'm saved by the arrival of Leo and Piper. They sit down, and I let myself shrink into the background. The talk around me is unfocused and it pretty much sounds like every person at the table is having a different conversation.

Annabeth leans over to me. "Don't let Luke talk you into anything you don't want to do," She says, simultaneously stealing a few potatoes from my plate. "The last thing you want is to get caught and sent down."

I really do not like the sound of getting sent 'down'.

"What's down, exactly?" I ask, hoping she doesn't notice my voice crack.

"Well, all the way down is Tartarus," She begins, "This building is leveled. The higher in the building you are, the better the living conditions. And the saner the rezzes." She steals another potato.

"Is being sent down, like, permanent?" I squeak, really not liking how these next few months will pan out, considering my capacity for trouble.

"Depends," She answers, "I mean, it's either just a punishment, or it's because you are actually going insane. If it's the latter, yeah, that's permanent."

I give an audible gulp.

"So, have you ever been sent down?" I venture curiously.

Annabeth frowns and nods. "A few times. It isn't fun." She shoves some peas around her plate.

"How long have you been here?" I'm really just grasping at potential conversation topics right now, hoping to get to know her better.

"A very long time," She sighs. I take that as my cue to shut up and eat.

The food isn't too bad, a little cold since I left it untouched. Annabeth had eaten all of my potatoes, but I'm not too broken up about it.

I listen to the conversations happening around me and make out what I can about each person.

Luke is definitely verging on sadistic.

Leo is certainly an extreme case of ADHD.

Piper is undoubtedly a kleptomaniac, seeing as she keeps swiping napkins and cutlery.

I'm not sure about the rest of them, though - Annabeth, Thalia, and Jason. It seems rude to ask, but maybe there's someone I can ask. Luke probably knows, and he doesn't seem too concerned with things like social barriers.

I'm staring off into space when a loud clang shakes me out of my reverie. I glance back over my shoulder to see what's happening.

It's a skinny kid with dark shaggy hair and sunken cheeks. He's glaring at some big guy who looks like he just knocked the tray out of the skinny kid's hands.

"Watch where you walk, di Angelo," The bigger guy sneers.

"Watch where you breathe," The di Angelo kid retorts. The entire cafeteria has gone silent watching the standoff.

"You little punk, you think you're so smart don't you, so privileged because Daddy owns this place," The big guy taunts. In the blink of an eye, Luke is standing beside di Angelo, looking ready to fight off any attack.

"Bring it on, Polinski," Luke provokes. Polinski gives Luke a once-over and cracks his neck.

Right about now is when I start wondering where the security detail is.

* * *

**A/N: Hello! It didn't take too long this time, luckily. **

**Hope you all enjoyed it, and I'll use this time to put in some free personal advertising and say that I would be over the moon if you lovely people would have the time to check out my other creations!**

**I own nothing.**

**Drop a review, ask questions, leave a message, it makes my day!**

**Stay fab;**

**-breezered.**


End file.
